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nevertheless-moving · 10 days

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Stormlight AU Number Three Chapter One, Part One

"Captain? May I speak with you? I had one more thing that I was hoping to discuss. At your convenience, sir."

He turned to see Renarin, still lingering at the edge of the now mostly quiet campfire, stack of clean bowls beside him.

Kaladin barely restrained a sigh of annoyance. He had been planning on checking on the other barrack fires, then maybe getting some actual sleep.

"Of course, Brightlord," he said, stuffing down any irritation.

The prince jumped to his feet, looking nervously at the handful of men, some of whom had pulled out a deck of cards and were either genuinely no longer paying attention to the Brightlord among them, or were doing a very good impression of nonchalance.

Seriously? Kaladin thought, curious despite himself. He just begged to join a darkeyed spear crew, practically in public. Called a shashbranded man 'Sir' in front of a dozen witnesses and the open air. I didn't think he even knew what discretion was.

Kaladin tilted his head to the side, and they moved away from the group, well out of earshot, but Renarin still glanced at the other men in fear.

Talat's sword, the kid was tense as a bowstring again, hands shaking even as they clenched his sides, though they still didn't go for that box of his. A few twisting black spren trailed him. If Kaladin had thought he had been anxious before, then this was a whole other level.

"What do you think it is?" Syl asked, passing overhead, ruffling black and yellow hair. Renarin twitched at the breeze.

"I know some of the other bridgemen were whispering mean stuff about him," she said, examining the prince, "But I don't think he heard, and you said soldiers don't come to their commanding officers about that sort of thing, right? And he looks too scared for that, anyway. Unless they were really being cruel."

With another narrowly repressed sigh, Kaladin led them further away, to an alley between a storage building and an unused barrack, out of both sight and sound.

Something more about his Epilepsy, maybe?

Renarin pulled a sapphire mark out as they left the glow of firelight behind, blue light making the visible tremble of his fingers more obvious. The prince went even further, to the dead center of the alleyway. Even if someone skulking around the corner abandoned all pretenses and pressed an ear to the wall, they would be hard pressed to hear a quiet conversation.

And still, Renarin looked nervously to both of the alley's exits.

Kaladin's heart started to pick up in sympathetic dread. "Soldier?" he finally asked. "You wanted to speak with me?"

The youth flinched, before bowing his head and leaning forward.

"I need your help," he said, staring at the ground.

Kaladin furrowed his brow. "With...?"

"I need your help with—" he cut himself off, seeming to choke on the words. He let out a frustrated sounding grunt.

"We..." The prince opened his mouth, then closed it. His hands also opened and closed at his sides. "You..."

"How— his jaw snapped shut again and even in the low light, Kaladin could see him swallowing several times, before taking a deep breath and setting his jaw.

"You... survived a highstorm. You... healed from that."

Kaladin started at the unexpected line of conversation. Syl crossed her arms in the air, staring Renarin down.

"Yes," he said cautiously. "Not a pleasant experience."

"And you fought off the Parshendi army. When you charged the tower. By yourself."

"My whole bridge fought," Kaladin retorted, slightly offended on their behalf.

Renarin shook his head. "Yes, but you cleared the landing for them. You went ahead. And you won."

Kaladin's heart picked up a bit more.

"Briefly," he said with forced calm. "My men—"

"And you saved my father. From the Parshendi Shardbarer. By yourself... Adolin is still resentful of that, I think."

This time Kaladin said nothing. He hadn't done anything wrong, he reminded himself. Nothing to give away his advantages. His achievements had been unusual, yes. But that was common knowledge. Nothing to panic about when confronted, even by a prince with an unnerving tendency to watch people.

"I wondered... I suspected. But then I saw..."

Renarin looked up, but not at Kaladin. He stared into space, eyes unfocused, then shook his head.

"I saw you breathing in Stormlight," he whispered.

"Oh!" Syl said. "Oh!" She looked at Kaladin, but he wasn't listening to her right now.

A chill ran down Kaladin's spine, and it took everything he had not to move back in the narrow space.

"Breathing in stormlight?" he repeated after a moment, trying to sound confused. Trying, at least, not to sound afraid.

Brightlord Renarin's eyes snapped to his and now he found it very easy to hold himself in place. He didn't think he could move, chill down his back having hardened to ice.

"I saw you. And then I saw it — and I saw it again. A faint glow...you're a surgebinder. I know it. I saw it." The Brightlord's stare, somehow, grew even more intense.

Oh. It's over. It's all over.

"Kaladin! Kaladin!" Syl floated before his face, between Renarin and himself. "It's going to be okay! We like Renarin, remember? Try and calm down — just, just listen to him, alright? I have a good feeling about this."

"I..." Kaladin cleared the sudden dryness from his throat, clenching his hands into fists to try and control his abrupt, almost painful shivers. When had the night grown so storming cold? Why was the cold making it hard to breathe? "Who else knows?"

"No one!" the prince assured him quickly. "I wouldn't — I know it's a secret."

That softened a fraction of the crushing tightness in his chest. But only a small amount.

"What do you want?" Kaladin managed to get out. "What do you want from me?"

"I need help," Brightlord Renarin said, hands coming together in front of him, thumbs shifting end over end. "Please... I. Please. You have a spren. The assassin didn't, but you do. She looks like a windspren, but she's something else, right? Something more."

The weight, impossibly, redoubled on his chest. He sucked down a breath, then struggled to take in another.

I knew it. I knew it.

"Kaladin! Kaladin can you hear me?" Syl said, from very far away.

I knew they'd try and take her from me.

He saw the Brightlord 's terrible blue eyes as if from the end of a tunnel, looming above him. At some point he had stumbled back, the soulcast stone wall frigid behind him.

He couldn't fight. If he killed a third dahn, even if he could bring himself to kill Dalinar's son, he'd never know peace again. Bridge four would never know peace. He couldn't attack the prince, who was under Kaladin's protection, possibly twice.

He couldn't run. His men were here. He wouldn't be able to get to them all, not before they came after him.

He couldn't fight. He couldn't run.

He couldn't — he couldn't — he looked desperately for Syl.

She hovered over him, tears in her eyes, mouth moving silently.

He couldn't protect her.

The tunnel closed in around him.

...

"...says this weird shade of orange is the next big color—"

Kaladin blinked in bewilderment. He turned to see Prince Renarin next to him, talking nonsense.

"—but honestly the fabric swatches give me a headache..."

He glanced towards Syl, searching for an explanation, but she seemed enthralled, laying on her front in the air, heels kicked up behind her.

"I hope he moves on as fast from this as he did yellow. He still can't make up his mind about Takamas, though he pretends that..."

There was about two week's worth of pay between them. Two weeks worth of pay for him now, as head of the cobalt guard. A small fortune. Pocket change to a prince.

"Why," Kaladin said, too confused to be anything but blunt, "are you sitting on the ground next to me, talking about fashion?"

The prince startled, scrambling halfway up before kneeling back down, level with Kaladin.

They were on the ground. Why were they on the ground...in an alley?

"I'm sorry!" the youth said. "It's what Adolin does when I... when the world is too much and I leave my head. I wasn't sure what else to do."

Kaladin felt slightly dizzy. He shivered, wrapping his arms around himself involuntarily. Hazy dread started creeping back towards him, like fronds after a storm.

"I'm sorry," Renarin whispered again. "I've done this all wrong. I should have started by showing you, but I was too scared. I'll show you now."

He fumbled with the sphere, in his hand, bringing it close to his face. Then he took a deep breath.

And the light from the sphere went alongside.

Kaladin gaped as the prince glowed in the dark alley.

"I'm a surgebinder too," he said, light escaping quickly as he spoke. "I'm not trying to take your spren, I swear. I'm came to ask your help with mine, and for your help controlling my abilities." He glanced down, and it occurred to Kaladin he might be looking at something, someone, Kaladin couldn't see.

"Glys says that he thinks there's something wrong with him, that my powers are manifesting differently then he thinks he was expecting. I've told him that it's probably me, that I tend to mess things up, but he seemed sure that something happened to him, even if he can't quite remember...and I realized that you..."

He turned watery blue eyes towards Kaladin. "I'm sorry to bother you. There's not a lot of people I can ask for help with this. Please...if you can help him. Help us."

"Oh," Kaladin said, feeling strange. "You're like me."

Renarin blushed, staring at his lap, face illuminated by the last wisps of light escaping his skin. "I'm really not. I'm not a warrior, I can't even wield a Shardblade without..."

Syl hissed beside him.

"I don't like Shardblades," Kaladin said innanely. "I mean, I thought it was because of the death I had seen them deal, but Syl hates them worse than anything."

"I... hear something when I hold mine. Screaming. It hurts. It hurts Glys too, I'm pretty sure, though he won't admit it. I thought it was hallucinations at first, but..."

"I don't — Hm. Actually, I couldn't actually bring myself to touch one, when I had a chance," Kaladin said quietly. "If you want, I suppose, you could summon yours, and I could try to touch it, and if I hear something too, then..."

He regretted the offer almost as soon as he made it but...there was someone like him. A lighteyes, but still.

Renarin sat back, closing his eyes. He reached his hand out to the side, turning away as if braced for blow. He winced when the blade finally dropped into his hands, gritting his teeth.

"It's terrible," Syl whispered. "It's...it makes me angry, so angry, but also...sad?"

Kaladin forced himself to reach forward, not wanting to prolong Renarin's obvious pain. He felt the same as he did every time he saw one of the things, no matter from how far away — that same sense of wrongness, of concentrated injustice. He carefully touched the flat of the blade, and...

Screaming.

He could hear screaming. Inside his head. Syl! She was dying!

It reverberated through Kaladin. His muscles spasmed as that horrible, awful screech shook through him. He pulled back, gasping, looking frantically for Syl. She was crying, and he reached for her with trembling hands, even though he knew they wouldn't be able to touch. She stumbled towards him.

Renarin dismissed the blade, slumping in relief. "So you hear it too."

"Storms! What was that? How did you stand bonding with it?" He cradled Syl in both hands, almost able to feel her, soft as a breeze on his palms.

"It...was a really bad week."

Kaladin barked out a laugh, then pulled himself together.

"Well, either we're both crazy, or...it's a Radiant thing. Something to do with the Recreance, I'd guess."

The corners of Renarin's lips twitched up slightly as he nodded. "That's...I'm truly sorry, I know that was terrible, but it's such a relief —"

"No, I get it —" The cold, the earlier misplaced terror was ebbing in away. Even that horrible scream. In its place, was a feeling that he could best describe as relief. "It's — it feels good to not be alone."

Renarin hummed softly, nodding vigorously in agreement, then tucked his chin to his chest.

If he had to pick a lighteyes to become a surgebinder... well, Renarin was probably the best choice, the least likely to misuse his power of anyone of his class that Kaladin had met. Bizarrely humble, despite his proximity to the throne. It could be a lie of, course, but he didn't seem to have the...entitlement that led other lighteyes into casually committing horrors.

Kaladin studied the prince. At some point he had pulled out that box of his, and was turning it end over end in shifting patterns. Renarin looked up, met Kaladin's eyes, then quickly looked back down, blushing.

Storms, had he really been scared off this man?

Dalinar, an honorable lighteyes if one existed, could be frightening, exuding the sense that he expected the world to move to suit his needs. Zahel may have had a point about Renarin's character, not to mention his willingness to come here the way he did, rather than demand answers on his own turf...

And a radiant Spren chose him, too. Surely, that had to be a good sign, if nothing else? Then again, Syl chose me, so who knows.

"I also forgot a lot," Syl said, and Renarin turned to look at her, eyes wide.

"Oh! You're —"

"Slyphrena," she said, smiling, standing proud on Kaladin's hand. "Honorspren, though I didn't remember that part until kind of recently. I just thought I was a weird windspren, that is when I could string two thoughts together!"

She turned into mist, sneaking up Renarin's arm like clouds over a mountain range.

"Where's your spren? What type are they anyway? They're not a cryptic, are they? Come on, it's been ages since I had someone intelligent to talk to who wasn't a windspren."

Kaladin rolled his eyes.

"Glys?" Renarin asked softly. There was a long pause. "He — uh. He's too nervous to come out right now."

The syl cloud paused at Renarin's shoulder, then shifted back into her female form.

"Huh!" she said. "So he's like you!"

Renarin let out a bemused huff of air. "Yes, yes he is. I thought that might also be a radiant thing, since we're bonded, but..." He looked out of the side of his eyes at Syl who was sitting on nothing, swinging her legs, then back at Kaladin, who quickly tried to school his resting features into something not a scowl.

"This... this is exactly the type of thing I wanted to talk to you about," Renarin said. "There's books on Radiants, but I don't think I could have them all read to me without word spreading. I've been mixing them in with other random subjects, but I don't know what would happen if this got out. The ardents already mutter about my cousin and my father committing heresy, and I'm not nearly as, uh, established as them."

Kaladin nodded, eagerness surprising himself. But damn it, Renarin had asked for his help, and it would be good to talk with someone who knew how Stormlight felt in their veins, maybe spar, if he could get Renarin a different weapon.

Renarin might not be as stocky as his brother and father, but he must exercise, as he clearly had some amount of lithe muscle, now that Kaladin looked closer. He wasn't as young as Kaladin had first thought, and his height would give him reach. How much of his perceived frailness was just because of his family's shadow? How much of his martial ability had been held back by his Epilepsy, now no longer a problem? How much had that sword held him back, once he had the chance to actually fight?

"I train with stormlight sometimes, in the chasms," Kaladin said. "When I can get away. Sigzil, Rock, and Lopen help. If you can convince your father to actually serve on a spear crew, then next time I'll have you join us — the other men might mutter about you getting special training, but well..."

"I'll live. Though I was being honest when I said I wanted to be a soldier, or something close to one."

"I believe you. We'll figure something out — it's not as though my duties allow me to get away often. Most of the time you'll be cleaning boots and drilling spear forms, don't worry."

Renarin nodded, hands turning the box over. "So... those three, they know about you? Who else?"

"All of bridge four," Kaladin admitted, rubbing the back of his neck. "Or the ones who were there when I charged the tower, anyway...there wasn't really away to keep it secret after that. I was terrified that someone in your army would see. Plus Shen, he was there when I talked more about more powers around the first stew in this camp. Not any of Lopen's cousin's, I don't think. Or the injured recruits. Just the original bridge four, and... now you."

"Oh..."

They sat in silence, Renarin twisting his box around. Kaladin grew briefly distracted following the lines.

"I'm sorry," the prince finally said. "I know you wouldn't have wanted any lighteyes to know. It's one of the reasons I didn't say anything to you when I just had suspicions. I'm truly sorry to have alarmed you like that, I wasn't expecting..." Renarin continued twisting pieces about in an oddly soothing way. "But if I thought someone was coming after Glys... Brightlords have taken a lot from you, haven't they?"

Kaladin grimaced but didn't say anything. He forced himself to look away from the box, he didn't want Renarin to think he was staring. The prince was very perceptive, sometimes.

They sat in silence for a longer time.

"Should I tell bridge four about me?" Renerin asked eventually.

"It's up to you. They're good men, but I understand if its a bit soon for you."

Another long silence. The men were probably wondering what had happened to them, the ones who hadn't gone out for drinks, anyway.

"I don't think I want to, not yet. My abilities... they frighten me." The prince's fingers tightened around the metal cube, knuckles growing white.

"What... what are your abilities? I know there were different orders, which could do different things..."

"Truthwatcher," Renarin whispered. "Or so Glys tells me."

"Windrunner."

A small red light pulsed beneath Renarin's shirt, quickly winking out, and the prince wrinkled his brow. "Huh. Glys is surprised by that for some reason."

"I'm the only Honorspren," Syl said quietly. "The only one who would come. The rest — I can't remember, but they're not here. There were...others. Other types of spren who came through, but not ones like me." She ran her fingers through her hair in an oddly human gesture of frustration.

Renarin forced his shoulders back, tension returning. Kaladin waited while he arranged his thoughts, in the mean time letting himself enjoy watching the shapes that Renarin unconsciously formed and dissolved out of the box's rows.

"I'm not completely sure what I can do. I can grow things. There were some seeds in one of my meals and — they grew, as if a weeping passed in a minute. Some rockbuds outside my window did too. Glys thinks I might be able to do that for people, but I haven't really had the chance to try."

Kaladin's jaw dropped and he couldn't help but reach for the prince, stopping himself just before he grabbed the man's shoulder's. "That's incredible! With stormlight — you could prevent famines with that! And people — you mean you think you could heal?"

Renarin nodded, a few shockspren breaking around him.

"That's incredible," he said, giving into the urge to shake the man's shoulders. "Renarin, that's amazing!"

The prince blinked rapidly, cheeks and ears darkening. "Really? I mean can't Windrunners — you can fly can't you?"

"I haven't... figured out flying. I assumed it was impossible, before I saw the Assassin. But I did figure out wall walking, just earlier today, and I think I can see how that would turn into — it wouldn't really be flying, just sort of...falling sideways. I think I could do it, with practice."

"Wow."

Kaladin shook his head. "People don't appreciate healing as much as they should. My father trained me as a surgeon —"

A wave of melancholy hit him, as it often did when he thought of home.

"That makes a lot more sense then field medicine training that would cover epilepsy."

Kaladin smiled. "Anyway. If you could heal like the Radiants from myths could...I can't express how incredible that would be. The growing crops by itself is..."

Renarin smiled shyly, looking pleased, and Kaladin pressed one last time on both shoulders before drawing back.

"That's not... the only thing I do." The prince looked down. "The other thing I do — well. It feels more like it happens to me, actually. I've been pretending it's my epileptic fits but those actually stopped around when I bonded with Glys."

"I stick rocks together," Kaladin offered. Renarin cocked his head, peeking up through his lashes, and Kaladin sighed. He breathed in a small amount of light, picking up a pebble, then pressed it to the wall.

"Oh!" Renarin said, scrambling to look. "Wow!" He reached for it, but the pebble fell almost immediately.

"Eh. I've tried using it sparring, and honestly its easier just to fight normally."

"But maybe with practice..."

"Maybe. I've gotten some use out of it, but it's not quite as exciting as walking on walls, or as useful as growing crops."

Renarin scrubbed a hand across his face. "My other thing. It's not boring... it's bad. It's. Pretty bad." He breathed out slowly, closing his eyes, and drawing his knees up to his chest.

"Do you ever... get highstorm visions? Like my father?" the prince asked, not opening his eyes.

"A few times," Kaladin said, just as quietly. "You?"

Renarin nodded, than shook his head. "Mine are...different," he said grimly. "And they don't always happen during storms." His hands picked at the cuffs of his pants, then worked to follow the seams of his shining leather boots.

Kaladin waited, but it didn't seem like the prince was going to keep going without Kaladin giving something.

"Mine aren't like your father's either. I understand those are of the past, mine...it's like I was the high storm, I could see the continent moving beneath me. The last was when the assassin came. I...the Stormfather, I think it was him, said 'he was coming.'

Renarin jerked to face him, his eyes opening wide, alight with...hope? "You mean you saw the future?"

Kaladin recoiled on instinct, and he could see the spark die in Renarin's eyes.

Oh. Oh.

"You could call it that," Kaladin said carefully. "Though I feel the Assassin was already, uh, fairly present. More like a warning from an ally, although I don't think the stormfather actually likes me."

He didn't want to talk about the Stormfather's accusations about killing Syl. He hadn't even talked to Syl about that.

"He said he was sorry about 'him' coming," Kaladin explained. "And I didn't see the assassin but – Um. Do you..."

Renarin nodded, shoulders slumping and head curling down. It was hard to see, shadowed as he was, but his eyes looked open now, watery and looking into nothingness.

"The images don't always make sense in the moment. At first I thought it was just...madness. The things I see...it would be better if it was just madness. But they always come true. Always."

An agony spren appeared from the ground, reaching for the hem of the prince's pants. Another followed close behind.

Kaladin sat thinking, not wanting to reply hastily and make things worse again.

"Can you guess what my men said, after they found out what I could do?" Kaladin asked slowly.

Renerin shook his head, but the agonyspren at least faded.

"I was terrified that they would think it was alarming. Unnatural. I thought I was cursed for a while...and Skar said, "If it helps you survive, it’s good. That’s all that needs to be said about it." And...that was that."

Renarin clutched his knees closer, starting to rock slightly. "I don't know if my powers can do that," he whispered. "It feels like the visions can't be changed. I don't know how to change them, I barely understand what half of them mean, not until it's too late."

"Maybe...that's part of why there are so many warnings about being wary of telling the future?" Kaladin said. "It would be easy to think they're guarantees, and set yourself up for failure, but if they're more like highstorm predictions..."

"You think?"

Kaladin shrugged helplessly. "I honestly don't know. But I realized that this — what I can do, what we can do — it's not evil, and its not a curse. So... maybe the legends of telling the future are like the stories of the radiants turning against mankind. Too much time has passed, and everything we know now is confused."

"Hm. I don't know," Syl said doubtfully. "I still feel like predicting the future is weird and dangerous."

"Syl!" Kaladin hissed, while Renarin curled in tighter, rocking staying the same speed.

"But," she said, putting her hands on her hips and rolling her eyes, "I like you Renarin, and I'm a tiny piece of God with impeccable taste, so you can't be evil."

Kaladin slapped a hand to his face, but Renarin seemed to unfold at that, blinking rapidly.

"Really? Glys says as far a spren go, you're the ones that are pure Honor."

"Obviously," she said, sounding for all the world like a stuck up lighteyes.

"And you — you like me? You... think I have honor?"

She squinted at him, and he straightened like a soldier awaiting inspection.

"Yep!" She said finally. "You're not as good as my human obviously —"

"Syl," Kaladin hissed again, flushing, but Renarin just nodded.

"—But I like you, so you must be honorable. And my Kaladin can be weird and dangerous, too, so it's probably fine."

"That's—" Kaladin started to protest, but saw how inexplicably cheered Renarin looked and decided to let it go.

"We should probably get back to the others," Kaladin said finally. A wave of exhaustion hit him, and he stumbled to his feet. Storms, he felt like he had just run a marathon. He brushed off flakes of dried crem from the back of his uniform.

Renarin clambered up after him, and he looked...lighter. His hands twisted over the box, but they weren't shaking. He smiled widely at Kaladin, teeth showing, genuine relief and joy and hope crinkling the corners of his eyes. Kaladin couldn't help but pause and smile back.

"You — you won't tell anyone? About me?" Kaladin blurted out, before they fully left the alley. He just — he had to be sure.

Renarin nodded furiously.

"And I won't tell bridge four about you," Kaladin promised in return. "Not until you ready, but... they might guess, if we keep meeting."

"I understand," Renarin said, expression earnest. "And...I really want to talk more. This...just this meant a lot."

"And maybe..." Renarin looked at Syl, then his voice dropped to a hopeful whisper. "If Glys is willing to talk to Syl, they could try and work on the gaps in their memory together, about where they came from."

Kaladin nodded slowly. Storms, I didn't even think... if it could help Syl... maybe I can move the schedule around so I guard Renarin in the evenings, so we can have more time for them to figure it out.

"Thank you," Kaladin said, reaching out a hand and grasping Renarin's shoulder. "I know it wasn't easy coming to me like this."

Renarin ducked his head, tips of his ears red. "Thank you for hearing me out. Sorry I... startled you."

Kaladin rubbed the bridge of his nose. Startled. That was one word for it. A few shamespren fell. Almighty, what would have happened if he had frozen up like that in a fight? He shook away the thought, he couldn't remember ever losing himself like that, it was likely a bizarre and unpleasant fluke.

Though some of his memories of being the wretch were a haze... Regardless, it was probably why he felt so tired now. That and perhaps the lack of sleep.

They left the alley to find Torfin waiting around the corner; Renarin and Kaladin both froze on seeing him.

He saluted, looking guilty. "Sir! Apologies for eavesdropping, Drehy and I were assigned to guard Prince Renarin tonight, and when you and he didn't return, we grew concerned. I moved away as soon as I could tell that...uh. A guard was not needed."

Kaladin crossed his arms, scowling, and Torfin fidgeted, not meeting his eyes.

"...What did you hear?"

"Very little Captain, I swear! The prince wanted to talk more, then mumbles, then you thanked him, then I left, I promise!"

Kaladin relaxed. "I believe you Torfin, and I'm not upset, you were doing your job."

"Of course, sir!"

"I can—" a wave of exhaustionspren fluttered up around him and he staggered; Renarin reached out to steady him.

"You've been working two, possibly three shifts in a row?" Renarin murmured. "Torfin and Drehy can escort me back. We can, uh —" He glanced nervously at Torfin, still standing at attention. "We can talk more another time."

Kaladin nodded, and Renarin let him go.

Getting to his bed was a blur; he was fairly sure he at least mumbled goodnight to the men still by the fire, but couldn't be certain.

"There's someone like me," he whispered to Syl, pulling his boots (not as nice as his old ones) off, barely mustering up the energy to trade his uniform for more comfortable sleep trousers. Storms, it felt good to change clothes at the end of the day. The little things bridgecrew makes you appreciate.

"And there's someone like me!" Syl said, twirling happily. He smiled at her, then was out before his head hit the pillow.

#stormlight archive #stormlight fanfic #kaladin stormblessed #renarin kholin #kalarin #stormlight au no 3 #my au #BE WARNED:#i know this says part 1 chapter 1 and while i made an outline to organize thoughts the parts i have written are all over the place #there is a very good chance i will just skip over chapters that do not reach a certain vibe threshold #expect future scenes in random order if you must expect anything at all #this au really went around the bend considering tis a silly silly premise

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cosmerelists · 7 months

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If Cosmere Characters were in the Locked Tomb series...

[Spoilers for Stormlight Archive through Rhythm of War AND for Locked Tomb through Nona the Ninth!]

Specifically, I am imagining which pairs of Cosmere characters would be best suited as the necromancer/cavalier pairs we meet in the Locked Tomb series.

I cannot emphasize enough that if you’re coming here from Cosmere and have not read the Locked Tomb series, please skip this one! I am spoiling MAJOR plot points, and I don’t want to ruin these books for you!

1. Ninth House: Shallan (as Harrow) and Adolin (as Gideon)

In the Ninth House, Gideon is the big, beefy, lady-loving himbo who really doesn’t know anything but sword fighting and porn mags. And Adolin may not read porn (because Sanderson) but he is a big ol’ devoted swordsman who has his himbo moments. Meanwhile there’s necromancer Harrow who:

Lived as a cloistered nun (=Shallan being shut up at home)

Pretends her dead parents are totes alive (=Shallan pretending her dad is alive)

Puppets dead people (=somewhat similar to Shallan with her Alters)

Gets herself lobotomized to suppress memories of Gideon (=Shallan suppressing, just, so many memories)

Guards the Locked Tomb but is also obsessed with what lies inside (=Shallan and her “mother’s soul” in the safe)

Is forced to leave home to restore her dying house (=Shallan doing, well, the same thing)

So even though Shallan isn’t exactly a bone-obsessed necromancer, she and Harrow have more in common than you may at first think!

2. Eighth House: Nightblood (as Silas) and Vasher (as Colum)

The Eighth House are soul siphoners, meaning that the necromancer uses the cavalier as a big ol’ battery. They’re also deeply religious and inflexible, at least in their Silas & Colum iteration. Now, I was trying hard to think of a Cosmere character who has powers akin to soul siphoning when it suddenly came to me! Nightblood! Nightblood literally does eat souls! Plus, Nightblood is notoriously inflexible in their whole “Kill Evil” standpoint. I could have used either Vasher or Szeth as the cavalier to pair with Nightblood, but I use Szeth below and anyway, Colum/Vasher have the longer history with Silas/Nightblood.

3. Seventh House: Taravangian (as Dulcinea) and Szeth (as Protesilaus)

Dulcinea is a beautiful and sickly necromancer, having inherited her house’s traditional Blood Cancer, and she mostly lies around being beautiful and flirting with Gideon. However, it is eventually revealed that she’s not Dulcinea at all but rather big bad (?) Cytherea in disguise. And the cavalier Protesilaus is dead and just being puppetted around. This is all reminiscent of Taravangian, who pretends to be a kindly and sickly old man, harmless to all...but is actually a devious mass-murderer who is puppetting Szeth (by controlling his oathstone).

4. Sixth House: Kaladin (as Palamedes) and Syl (as Camilla)

My love for Palamedes and Camilla knows no bounds, so this one was hard. But in the end, I think Kaladin & Syl fit the bill. Palamedes is incredibly smart and trained in medicine, ala Kaladin, and he and his cavalier Camilla have incredible amounts of trust in each other. They work together seamlessly, as do Kaladin and Syl. And if they ever get separated, say by Palamedes blowing himself up into many little bits, they will nevertheless do whatever it takes to find each other--which reminds me of Syl fighting to get back to Kaladin when he semi broke his oaths in Words of Radiance. Camilla also tries to downplay how smart she is to some extent, and Syl can literally be invisible if she wants to be. Plus, Kal and Pal rhyme, so there.

5. Fifth House: Jasnah (as Abigail) and Ivory (as Magnus)

I mean, Jasnah pretty much had to be Abigail, since Abigail is a published scholar and the best historian of her generation. That’s Jasnah to a tee...even if perhaps Abigail tends to come across as a bit warmer than Jasnah. Magnus was harder because he’s (a) Abigial’s husband (and Jasnah is unmarried and Wit super doesn’t fit), (b) mostly an administrator / bureaucrat and ( c) a jolly sort who likes to play the embarrassing dad role. I went with Ivory as he is Jasnah’s true partner as her spren, and as a logicspren I think he’d make a good adminstrator perhaps. He’s not exactly a jolly father-figure, but what can you do?

6. Fourth House: Daorn (as Isaac) and Kaise (as Jeannemary)

The Fourth House is hard because their main characteristic is that they are literally children, and then they die. And I was having a very hard time trying to think of any pair of children who die or who even exist as a pair in Sanderson. So eventually I went with the children from Elantris--Sarene’s nephew and niece Daorn and Kaise. Mostly because they’re smart, somewhat sassy children. And Kaise knows some fencing, so that sort of fits for a cavalier.

[Spoilers for Lost Metal but apparently Kaise grows up to join the Ghostbloods on Scadrial??? I had no idea that was her until I was looking her up in the wiki holy shit]

8. Third House: Siri (as Ianthe), Vivenna (as Coronabeth), and Parlin (as Naberius)

In the Third House we have two beautiful sisters...one of whom ends up being a “spare” who isn’t a necromancer at all (and it’s not the one you think at first). In a similar way, Vivenna and Siri were both tapped at various points to marry the god-king; everyone thought it would be Vivenna with Siri being the spare sister, but it ended up being the other way around. Siri/Ianthe then end up in the house of the resident god and are fiercely loyal to him. Vivenna/Coronabeth meanwhile join up with rebel forces who are opposed to the god that Siri/Ianthe follow. Yet still the sisters do care deeply for each other, even when they find themselves working toward opposite ends. Phew! Oh, and I’m not really sure who should be their (sacrificed) cavalier, but Parlin is there as a protector and then he dies, so...I guess him? Despite them having really nothing else in common; sorry Parlin/Naberius!

9. Second House: Rlain (as Judith) and Eshonai (as Marta)

The second house is the strictly military one, so at first I was trying to make someone from Bridge 4 work, but it didn’t quite come together. Judith and Rlain do have a lot in common: they both work at gathering intelligence, serve as a spy after being taken in by an organization against their will (Judith with Blood of Eden and Rlain being sent to Bridge 4 which was not originally his mission), and are incredibly loyal through their chain of command. And they both have military training / experience. Meanwhile, Marta is just a star--she rises quickly through the miliary ranks, but then she dies before we get to know her much. Eshonai is a lot more fleshed out, but I am thinking about how she too quickly rose through the military ranks as she adopted Warform and shardplate and Stormform. And then she died, so.

10. First House: Dalinar (as John) and Evi (as A.L.)

John Gaius is, well, god--and he has what could be described as a problematic past (did you know that cows have best friends?). Dalinar may not be god, but he did bond the closest equivalent, the Stormfather, and Dalinar is pretty much the head of the Radiants, must as John is the head of the empire. Speaking of, both John and Dalinar built an empire! Meanwhile, there’s John’s “dead” cavalier A.L., whose name is not to be spoken--which reminds me of Evi, whose existence was literally excised from Dalinar’s head at one point. Now, it doesn’t seem like Evi is going to return and stab Dalinar where he sleeps, but, well, the series isn’t over yet...

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merpiko · 4 months

Text

tva tumblr dashboard simulator (limbo of after s1 but before the big events of s2)

✳️ childoflizardwizards Follow

Can L1130 stop throwing infinity stones at me while I review his mission report

✳️ childoflizardwizards Follow

I told him I was gonna snitch to Mobius and he stopped

#X-5 was right #he literally deflated the moment I told him how much power does Mobius hold over this guy

239 notes

🔆 hunter-a-9 Follow

just learned theres a department called repairs & advancements and its run by just one guy?? so thats how my tempad gets fixed

🐍 ouroboros-rna Follow

hello! (-‿◦☀)

🐌 deskslug Follow

wait. ouroboros? did you write the tva official handbook

🐍 ouroboros-rna Follow

yes :D

🐌 deskslug Follow

OH MY GOD I'M A HUGE FAN CAN YOU SIGN MINE

🐍 ouroboros-rna Follow

sure! just come down to r&a ^_^

4,289 notes

? deactivated23040130

do you ever think about your l̵̝̦̝̻̹̹̿̌̔̓͒̎̃̇͠ͅi̷̙̿̋̃̕f̸̬̘̙̀ͅe̷̦͍͎̮̎̔͑̐̀̿̾̓̎̋ ̵̢̭̺̹̈ó̵̘̫̣̹͖̜̞̫͍͘ǹ̴̠̩̼̩͔̈́̇̀͒̈́̓̽͝ ̶̛͇̒̅͋͛̉̓̄t̶̡̼͎̟̀͌̿͒̕h̴̛͓̣͍̓̊̈́̈́͑e̶̟̩͑̈ ̸̫̱̥̉̅̓̓̚t̷̗̲̲̞̺̞̣͍̮̐̾͊̀̎̚̚i̷̻͑̉̐̊̆̾̽̽̃̚ḿ̷͉̻̩̝̗̉ḛ̴̡̘̣̖͖̮́l̴̡̞͓̪̹̦͚̟̑̂̉̅̏̍͐í̵̘̪́̽̿̿̈́ͅn̴̯̬̫̭̮͉̝͐̒̂̒̽͆͜͝ȩ̶̤͈̪͓̠̝̮̳̔͘

🃏 probablygambledinapastlife Follow

DEACTIVATED?? THIS WAS POSTED 5 SECONDS AGO

#fishy #i thought it wasn't possible for weird fonts besides the tva standard ones #it is now! #MISS MINUTES???

391 notes

📜 judge-gamble Follow

did i just see renslayer open the sims 4 on her tempad

#so much for the rule of not jailbreaking them

30,106 notes

📌 acoolusername Follow

blonde woman stepped through a time door and is currently making me type this as she holds a dagger to my throat, so does anyone know where mobius and the variant are

🐊 alligatorwithacrown-inmourning Follow

probably making out

✏️ grammarwarriorattheoffice Follow

They're in the auto-mat.

📌 acoolusername Follow

thanks you guys suck -syl

📞 notastandout Follow

@alligatorwithacrown-inmourning i was across from op and her, she looked hella pissed when she saw your rb

🐊 alligatorwithacrown-inmourning Follow

they would make a good couple tho

✏️ grammarwarriorattheoffice Follow

Our job is to manage the timeline, not speculate on relationships.

🐊 alligatorwithacrown-inmourning Follow

do you think her and the variant were exes

📞 notastandout Follow

do you ever shut up

#annoying cubicle neighbors

18,223 notes

🐊 alligatorwithacrown-inmourning Follow

📞 notastandout Follow

GO BACK TO WORK

🐊 alligatorwithacrown-inmourning Follow

im pretty sure that the blonde woman was the variant's ex

🚨 casey-prisoner Follow

I'm going to gut you like a fish!

🐊 alligatorwithacrown-inmourning Follow

WHAT WAS THAT FOR

🚨 casey-prisoner Follow

The variant taught me that one! And go back to work, Emilia is going to start lashing out on me if you keep posting :)

📞 notastandout Follow

damn right casey

7,458 notes

🧶 weavingitallup Follow

can someone prune the variant (aka loki (of many), aka L1130, aka mobius's pet) hes going to destroy the tva if he keeps teaching casey these things

#i miss when fish didnt exist yet

5,100 notes

? XXXXX Follow

Hi y'all, this post has received a warning and will be deleted soon! Please carry on.

??? notes

💤 snoozingtilltheendoftime Follow

do you think anyone has ever gotten freaky with this

🏖️ howtoretireatajobyouweremadefor Follow

op what the hell is wrong with you

💤 snoozingtilltheendoftime Follow

i sit at a desk for eons

🍴 thesaladinthecafeteria-isspoiled Follow

miss minutes please do your job and delete this post

4 notes

🔎 mobius-m-mobius Follow

Why is there a poll discussing my relationship with the variant?

📞 notastandout Follow

@alligatorwithacrown-inmourning

🐊 alligatorwithacrown-inmourning Follow

FUCK

🔎 mobius-m-mobius Follow

keep up the great work people

🔎 mobius-m-mobius Follow

He took my TemPad, sorry.

🗡️ sylvie Follow

loki we need to talk the next time you come over

📞 notastandout Follow

wait weren't you the girl that almost killed my coworker

🔎 mobius-m-mobius Follow

i can come over now is it an emergency

🗡️ sylvie Follow

not for me but for you

🔎 mobius-m-mobius Follow

im not coming over

📌 acoolusername Follow

SHE ALMOST KILLED ME

🗡️ sylvie Follow

;)

2,023 notes

#loki series #loki #time variance authority #tva #loki laufeyson #mobius m mobius #sylvie laufeydottir #miss minutes #fake tumblr post #fake tumblr dash #most of this is self indulgent tbh

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disenchantedif · 9 months

Note

Scientific question: hugs! Do they ljke to give or receive hugs? And how? Another question for science: how would yhe horrors feel about a romantic interest--- I mean a PAL who is taller than them or one who is much shorter?

“Hugs?” Mor’s brow furrows, glancing over at Elis, “More mortal affection?”

“Yes.” Elis pinches their nose, eyes slipping shut in agitation, “Unfortunately. You know when Syl tackles you?”

“Oh,” Mor blinks in understanding, “Then I suppose I don’t give hugs, but I do receive them by being tackled.”

Elis sneers, glancing your way, “Don’t touch me.”

“And height?” Mor repeats, “In regards to…romantic partners? Should we ask Venerus-?”

“Please do not ask Venerus anything even remotely related to this one’s romantic life.” Elis groans, “I’m not mentally prepared for that conversation.”

“What about our romantic lives?” Mor prompts.

Elis shoots them a skeptical look, “We have no romantic lives. Regardless, still not mentally prepared.”

“Are you,” Mor pauses, “Are you mentally prepared for anything?”

“No.” Elis says without hesitation, giving their companion a scathing look, “So shut up.”

It’s quiet for a beat.

Mor glances back at you with a bemused smile, “It appears we don’t feel strongly one way or another.”

#primordial hours #answered asks #mor #araselis #venerus #syl

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anqaspond · 4 days

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god they keep introjecting me we're gonna have to make a syl introject channel

#silly screenshots #actually both me syl and sylvester have already been introjected and this is something i wont shut up about

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otemporanerys · 3 months

Text

7 snippets, 7 mutuals

Thanks for the tag @cr-noble-writes!

tagging @misseffect @diaphanouso @kalliesa @aevallare @dwarrowdams @dispatchwithlove @dulcidyne

Time to air all my dirty laundry WIPs!

1. True Blue - siblings edition

When the two of them entered the apartment that afternoon, Sol was sitting on the floor of the living room, folding up her clothes as small as they would go. “Hey, G,” she said without looking up, “how was school?”

“Fine.” Sol didn’t look up. “Uh, you remember Shepard.”

Sol snapped to attention. “Oh. Hi.”

Shepard ran over to the TV. “Whoa, this one’s new!” She sat down, cross-legged, and admired his games console. “We only get the ones the kids’ hospital doesn’t want.”

“Wait, seriously?” Garrus asked.

“Yeah, it’s awful.” Shepard turned the console on. “They try and wrap them up so we don’t notice but they’re always covered in snot.”

Sol mouthed at Garrus, she’s gonna steal it. Garrus mouthed back, shut up.

2. True Blue - idiots in love edition

Another reason being on the Normandy was weird: normally seeing Shepard in person was a process of extensive negotiations with both their calendars. - Can you do next week? - Sorry, the tour doesn’t end until next month. Does that work? - No, Pallin’s sending me on a course, what about after?

But now that they were on the same ship, it was the work of moments.

Dualla? she texted.

Sure, he replied, I’ll be there in five.

Dualla could be – very crudely, in Garrus’s opinion – described as turian yoga, but it was faster paced, mixing speed and flexibility. Once upon a time, Garrus had been better at it than Shepard, but that was a long time ago, and when Shepard set her mind to something, it took her no time at all to master it.

The VI in the Normandy’s gym suggested some gentle adjustments, bearing in mind that Shepard’s joints weren’t shaped for the basic program, but Shepard, naturally, ignored all of them.

3. True Blue - Garrus is hot now edition

“Don’t tell me you didn’t freak out when you first saw him,” Metina needled. “C’mon, you can tell us.”

Shepard muttered something through clenched teeth – Garrus didn’t catch it, and if she said anything after, it was drowned out by Saesa and Metina cackling. “Hey,” he said, and they cackled even louder. Shepard’s face was… really red. Like after a long run, or a hard fight. “I got you a beer.”

She took it without saying thank you.

“Aw,” said Metina, “where’s my drink?”

“I, uh.” Garrus looked down at his beer. “I only have two hands.”

“Ignore her,” Saesa tutted. She leaned against a disused storage crate and sipped her drink. “So I hear basic is a non-stop party.”

Garrus scoffed. “If you ever go to parties where they make you do push-ups.”

She giggled behind her straw.

4. species swap - Vakarian parents edition

Even though she’d been awake for nearly 48 hours, she wasn’t tired when it was time for Castor to leave, but she did feel a little… she didn’t know. Wistful, maybe.

Even the way he stepped back into his clothes was efficient, she thought, as she wrapped her dressing down (towelly and Muppet print) around herself. He tightened his belt and asked, “Do you mind if I call you again?”

Right. A man who looked like that probably had a girl in every port, and she was this port’s girl. “Yeah, sure. Although, I don’t know if I’ll be here for your next shore leave.”

“I didn’t mean next time I’m here,” he said, buttoning up his shirt.

“Oh.” What? She laughed. “Yeah, sure, just ring me up whenever you feel like a chat.”

When he walked over to her, he looked just as soldier-fresh as he had when he’d walked into that weird officer’s restaurant the day before – except maybe there was a bit of stubble on his chin. He leaned down and kissed her, slowly and with tongue.

God, he was hot.

5. species swap - (angry) siblings edition

Somehow, out of all the Vakarians – stiff Castor, angry Tegan, and the prodigal son – Syl was the one who looked like she wanted to be here the least.

She hunched in the corner, pulling her little jacket around herself, and she pulled something out of her pocket. Gareth smelt it before he saw it – the sweet stink of unlit cigarettes.

“I didn’t know you still –”

Her head whipped over her shoulder. Jesus, Gareth had heard of looks to kill, but the look his sister gave him could vaporize. “I didn’t think you’d show.”

Gareth shoved his hands in his pockets. “So, uh. How are you?”

She turned back, lighting her cigarette.

This was always going to be an uphill battle. Gareth walked around in front of her, getting a faceful of smoke for his trouble. “I know you’re pissed, and you have every right to be, but –”

“Pissed. That’s one word for it.” She narrowed her eyes. “You really think you can just show up here like nothing happened?”

6. witcher - horny Kasumi edition

“Where do you keep finding these men?” Kasumi asked. “I never see you with anyone who isn’t drop-dead –”

“We’re working together,” Shepard interrupted. “Kasumi, meet –"

“Garrus.” Kasumi gave an exaggerated curtsey. “Whatever happened to that sorcerer you were travelling with last?” the sorceress asked. “Tall, dark, handsome –” “Oh,” Shepard grimaced. “Jacob. He found someone else.”

Garrus blinked. “He left you for another woman?”

“Oh, don’t be like that,” Shepard replied, “it only saved me the bother of jilting him myself.”

“Another sorceress?” Kasumi pouted.

“Mortal,” Shepard said. “Pregnant. Not his, obviously, but he still felt –”

“Ah,” Kasumi smirked, “so it’s only a matter of waiting.”

7. witcher - AU of the AU edition

“Hello, your grace,” she ventured.

“You know her, my lord?” one of the villagers asked. “But she’s a –”

“Witcher,” Garrus – she was pretty sure it was Garrus – finished. “Yes, she helped me with a problem once.” He smiled softly. “Must’ve been a decade ago.”

That sounded right, and he looked it. Not in a bad way: his face had filled out a little, and there was the smallest scattering of grey in that thick head of dark hair.

Shepard jerked her chin at the snowbank. “Do you have a spare spade?”

Garrus took it upon himself to dig right next to her. “I didn’t think you’d remember me,” he muttered, low enough that the villagers – his subjects – couldn’t hear.

“Oh, I remember.” She smirked. “I made you a man.”

He blushed, and smiled, and for a moment he looked just like that earnest young man she bedded all those years ago.

#wip #childhood friends #witcher au #species swap #my fic #tag game

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sarahshoots1st · 7 months

Text

Stormlight Characters represented by songs from my playlists

Kaladin

Standing in the Storm by Skillet

Chorus:

I'm standing in the storm Like never before The pressure builds around me Let the winds surround me Whatever comes I'm not giving up Fearless as a lion Not afraid of dying I've still got some life in me (You can try to break me) I've still got some fight in me (But you can never break me)

This song features Jen Ledger backing up John Cooper on vocals, making it perfect for Syl urging Kaladin on.

Shallan

Secrets by P!nk

Chorus:

I've got some things to say 'Cause there's a lot that you don't know It's written on my face It's gonna be hard to swallow (Everybody's got a secret) I got some things to say (Everybody's got a secret) 'Cause there's a lot that you don't know (Everybody's got a secret) It's written on my face (Everybody's got a secret)

It's form an album called "Beautiful Trauma." 'Nuff said.

Dalinar

To Be Better by Miracle of Sound

Chorus:

Leave the hurt behind Tearing the threads of the tethers Leave the hurt behind We can choose to be better We can choose to be better

This entire song reads like the oath of a Bondsmith. The fact that it's written about Kratos from God of War, another recovering bloodthirsty-barbarian, just adds icing to the cake.

Jasnah

Castle by Halsey

Chorus:

I'm headed straight for the castle They wanna make me their queen And there's an old man sitting on the throne that's Saying that I probably shouldn't be so mean I'm headed straight for the castle They've got the kingdom locked up And there's an old man sitting on the throne that's Saying I should probably keep my pretty mouth shut Straight for the castle

The day on which we get to see Jasnah Kholin being crowned Queen of Alethkar in the animated Stormlight show, is the day on which I will say, "Now lord let they servant depart in peace, for my eyes have seen thine glory."

Eshonai (Stormform)

Gathering Storm by Pentakill

Chorus:

Just like the tales of prophecies Just like the heartbeat of the seas We gather, we gather It matters not what strength you gained It matters not what gods you bring We're unafraid, our voice will raise the dead We gather

I'm as sad as the next gancho that we didn't get to see Eshonai become a Radiant, but Stormform Eshonai is a mood, and Pentakill's mythos of heavy-metal encapsulates it perfectly. Abandoned by the heavens, betrayed by the gods, she brought a storm of vengeance upon the humans who sought to enslave her people. If that doesn't scream "metal" I don't know what does. Also the fact that this song has a female vocalist makes it infinitely more appropriate.

#dj of the cosmere #the stormlight archive #kaladin stormblessed #sylphrena #shallan davar #dalinar kholin #jasnah kholin #eshonai #Spotify

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idlerin · 1 year

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translation: idk if short hair or your eldest suits me more auntie

random but nonsense oikawa would totally say this to [name]’s parents

#— noise.#shut the fuck up syl #go study #or write #pls study

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cantsayidont · 6 months

Text

April 1950. Years before Betty Kane or Barbara Gordon, the Robin solo strip in STAR SPANGLED COMICS briefly floated the idea of giving Robin a female counterpart: Roberta the Girl Wonder. The story begins at Dick Grayson's high school, where the girls are discussing their hopeless crush on Robin. One of them, redheaded Mary Wills, then has a brainstorm:

Mary is adorable in this story, although the assertion that Dick Grayson's peers are enamored with Robin (something that was repeated on and off into his college days in the 1970s) doesn't withstand close analysis. Even by the standards of the late '40s and early '50s, Robin is only a little less of a nerd than the young Clark Kent in the Superboy strip (who quickly established himself as the epitome of squaredom), and Dick Grayson at least as bad. However, Mary is determined:

A crime-compact! Obviously, Mary has already grasped the merchandising potential of being a Bat-adjacent crimefighter, but where did this teenage girl get smoke, gas, and explosive capsules? (Is that what we're supposed to assume she was making in panel 2 above?) Troubling …

As "Roberta the Girl Wonder," Mary quickly manages to introduce herself to Robin, even sneaking into the Batcave by hiding in the trunk of the Batmobile. However, to her dismay, Robin responds to her with irritation and disdain.

She asks a pretty reasonable question, honestly. Upon meeting her, Robin's immediate reaction is that "this is too dangerous a game for a girl" (but totally fine for a boy who doesn't even have any pants, apparently), and he subsequently becomes very critical of her ability to cover her tracks to protect her secret identity (much of which criticism seems unmerited or at least overblown), but even if you consider those reasonable arguments, his almost total disinterest in her (the above splash page not withstanding) does end up coming across as kind of gay. The comics were a little vague about how old Robin was supposed to be, but the beginning of this story indicates that he and Mary go to the same high school, so he's probably 15 or 16. That he reacts to a pretty girl his own age expressing obvious interest in him as if she were trying to sell him aluminum siding is thus a little odd unless, as Mary suggests, he just doesn't like girls.

To underscore the point, Robin deliberately sabotages her, arranging to douse her with chemicals (with which he's surreptitiously dosed the perfume shown below) to make her mask fall off in public:

Poor Mary.

Mary Wills is more than a little reminiscent of another STAR SPANGLED COMICS character: Merry, the Girl of a Thousand Gimmicks. First seen in STAR SPANGLED COMICS #81 in June 1948 (although she didn't adopt her costumed identity until the following issue), she was Merry Pemberton, adoptive sister of Sylvester Pemberton, the Star-Spangled Kid. Syl tried to discourage her from getting involved in crimefighting, but not only did she not listen to him, she soon took over his strip.

The above panels are from a story in STAR SPANGLED COMICS #86, which is still identified with the Star-Spangled Kid logo on the splash page even though Syl himself is nowhere in sight. With the following issue, the strip officially became Merry's in name as well as fact. However, with reader interest in superheroes fading rapidly, the strip lasted only through #90, in March 1949.

Roberta the GIrl Wonder may have originated an attempt to create a similar heroine for the Robin strip, but given how hard the ending of her story shuts down the possibility of her reappearing, one assumes editor Whitney Ellsworth decided that particular ship had sailed. National-DC was not very likely to replace Robin with a girl the way Merry had replaced her brother and Black Canary had superseded Johnny Thunder, and in any event, it had already become clear that it wasn't going to arrest the sales decline. Even Robin would soon lose the STAR SPANGLED cover slot to Tomahawk, and in 1952, the book became STAR-SPANGLED WAR STORIES.

#comics #star spangled comics #win mortimer #the writer of this story is unknown #robin the boy wonder #dick grayson #robin #roberta the girl wonder #merry the girl of 1000 gimmicks #star-spangled kid #whitney elsworth #otto binder #merry pemberton #sylvester pemberton

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spotsandsocks · 1 year

Text

Fuck It Friday

Throwing out an older fic for FIF thanks for tags @mumucow and @alyxmastershipper (tags are under the cut- no pressure but would love to see whatever you’re creating right now )

The Look of Love 9.6K T Eddie says I love you and leaving Buck confused so he takes the time to think about what he knows about love and what that means for how he feels about his best friend

The knocking sounds urgent, Bobby checks the time with a frown, it’s getting late but it’s not really too late for an unexpected visitor, so this isn't necessarily an emergency of some kind. He opens the door a tad warily anyway, hoping for a familiar face and he’s not wrong, it’s Buck. He’s standing there hand raised mid knock. The look on his face is hard to read but he’s not smiling.

“Hey Buck. Everything ok?”

It’s obvious it’s not because as soon as he asks, the younger man’s face crumples and he shakes his head. Bobby’s track record with emotional men knocking unexpectedly on his door isn’t great but he’s not about to turn Buck away.

“You wanna come in, talk some?”

That gets a quick nod and Bobby assesses him surreptitiously as he walks past, makes his way down the steps into the lounge. It’s obvious Buck’s upset, more upset than Bobby’s seen him for a while. The last time he’d looked like this was months ago now when Eddie had destroyed his bedroom and Buck had been scared to death for his friend, terrified he wouldn’t be able to help him. Bobby had known better. Buck had stepped up and been there for Eddie every step of the way. He was proud of them both.

Looking at Buck now he wouldn’t be at all surprised to find out this is about Eddie again.

Buck’s waiting at the bottom of the steps nervous energy running through him. Bobby joins him.

“So how can I help.” He waits expectantly and nods to himself when Buck’s first faltering word is,

“Eddie.”

Then he stops, mouth clamped tightly shut, Bobby can see the muscles tensing in his jaw. Buck starts pacing and Bobby tries not to frown. He ignores the prickle of panic in his gut because he knows that if anything truly bad had happened to Eddie then Buck would look a lot worse. Bobby thinks he probably wouldn’t be standing.

Buck tries again “Eddie said…. he told me….”

Whatever it is Buck can hardly get it out. Bobby moves closer, places a comforting hand on the younger man’s arm to help still his restless movements. Buck looks him in the eye, he looks lost and confused and Bobby wonders what on earth has happened to do this to him.

“Bobby he.. he… he said, he said that…” Buck inhales deeply then exhales loudly, “he said that he loves me.” Buck’s face screws up on the last three words, an expression of disbelief painted across his features.

Bobby had been mentally preparing for whatever Buck was going to tell him, running possible disaster scenarios through his mind. This doesn’t seem like a disaster, more of a step forward.

“Oh.” Buck’s still staring at him intently waiting for more so he adds “Ok.”

Bobby’s calm acceptance of the news is clearly more than Buck can handle, he erupts gesticulating wildly,

“Ok! Ok!? You you don’t get it Bobby! He loves me .”

“I heard you fine Buck.” Bobby reacts calmly because it’s really not the most outlandish thing he’s ever been told, not by a long shot, after all he does have eyes. He has been watching these two men for the last few years.

Buck only gets more agitated by this response. He decides Bobby’s misunderstood him,

“No! He meant like in love with me,” his emphasis reveals his shock.

Bobby pats him on the shoulder, “ok, you sit down, take a breath. I’ll go get you a drink.”

Buck nods then immediately starts pacing again.

That's what Athena sees when she walks out of her bedroom, Buck pacing in her living room. She pauses to assess the scene?

“Hey there Buck, how you doing?” She offers the greeting cautiously, reading his mood easily.

His head snaps towards her and he blurts out his news to her too.

“Athena, Eddie loves me!”

“Ok… “ with one syllable turning into two Athena throws a glance towards her husband filling glasses in their kitchen. His eyes meet hers and his expression says it all.

Athena looks back at her unexpected visitor “and we didn’t already know that?” She raises her eyebrows eloquently at the frustrated noise Buck makes. She tries to soothe him, “Buck baby, of course Eddie loves you.”

“He means” Bobby returns “Eddie’s told Buck that he’s in love with him” Bobby gives her another meaningful look as he passes Buck his water.

“Oh. I see.” Athena bites her lips together, throws the young man in front of her a sympathetic look, she’d never quite been sure how much he saw and ignored and how much he was oblivious to, both about Eddie’s feelings and his own. Now she has her answer.

Buck is still processing his new piece of information and exclaims “Why aren’t you surprised? I sure as hell was!”

“Buck sit down” she adds a hint of command to her voice and he does as he’s told, knees folding automatically.

Bobby takes the seat opposite him, “Ok so talk me through this.”

“He said…” Buck stands up then sits back down as Athena fixes him with a stare.

“He he he said…that he that he just wanted to tell me, th th that he didn’t need me to do anything about it and and” the last part comes out after another sigh “that he just wanted to say it outloud, just once.”

Buck misses Athena’s softly gasped “oh” as her hand comes up to cover her heart.

“He said…” Buck voice trails off as he looks at his Captain obviously hoping that he can give him answers. Athena's heart hurts for him, he looks so confused.

“Bobby, what am I supposed to do?”

continue on AO3

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